21 Things You Didn’t Know About CHOCOLATE (Facts, Origin, & Timeline)

Nine out of ten people like Chocolate, the tenth person always lies. This quote says it all.

I mean, who on earth doesn’t like chocolate? Weather as a dessert in a party or as a sweet treat from our loved ones, we enjoy chocolate to the last bite.

Apart from its popularity and delicious taste, what else do you know about chocolate?

Here, we have 21 interesting facts about chocolate. You may be familiar with some of them.

So, let’s know more about this delightful vegetable. Vegetable??? You will get it later.

Dawn of the chocolate

1. As early as 1,500 BC, people from Central America begin to drink chocolate.

2.  Mayan people started cultivating a large amount of cocoa around 600 A.D.

3.  The Aztec people used to drink chocolate at the wedding ceremony which tasted quite bitter.  

Aztecs and chocolate

4. They used to call ‘xocalat’ for chocolates. Sounds pretty familiar with what we call it today.

5. The Aztec ruler Montezuma was so fond of chocolate that he used to drink three gallons of chocolate every day.

6. During this time, cocoa beans were traded across as a form of currency.

The popularity of chocolate in the medieval era

7. In 1500 AD, Spanish explorers discovered chocolate and brought it in Europe.

8. The Spanish version of chocolate tasted sweet because of a mix of sugar.

9. Chocolate became popular in France when a Spanish king’s daughter got married to the French king.

Chocolate-The luxury food

10. By mid-1600 English people were also consuming chocolate as a luxury food.  

11. Chocolate had already spread across the world by early 1700 through English colonies.

12. French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte regularly enjoyed chocolate even during military campaigns.

The modern-day chocolate bar and its origin

13. The Cadbury company made the first chocolate bar in 1842 AD.

14. During the Boer war, Queen Victoria sent a chocolate bar to each of her military troops. What a loving Queen!

15. In 1847, The Fry and Son’s shop invented first solid chocolate by blending cocoa butter, sugar, and chocolate liquor.

16. The first modern chocolate dairy milk was introduced in 1905.

How is chocolate produced?

17. It takes around 400 cocoa beans to make one-pound chocolate. Tough job!

18. Currently, Africa is pioneering the cocoa supply by producing 70% of cocoa worldwide.

19.  Cocoa trees can live up to 200 years, but the beans can be reaped only for 25 years of their lifespan.

JULY 7- World Chocolate Day

20. July 7 is celebrated as World Chocolate Day commemorating the day when it was first brought to Europe.

21. The melting point of chocolate is 93 °F that’s why they melt so fast.

22. Bonus fact: Chocolates are veggies because cocoa is an evergreen plant like okra and cotton. Now, you get it.

Do we miss any other cool facts related to chocolate? If so, let us know by commenting.

By the way, how often do you eat chocolate? And which chocolate is your favorite?

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